1. Riel and the Resistance(s)
Red River Resistance ( )
Northwest Resistance (1885)

2. Louis “David” Riel

3. Red River Resistance
Map of Resistances.pdf

4. Red River Resistance
Many Ontarians wanted to move west after Confederation
The government purchased the Hudson’s Bay Company Territories in 1868

5. The French and Métis were not consulted
The Métis worried about losing their land along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers
So…
Louis Riel and the Métis seized Fort Garry!

6. PM John A. Macdonald could not stop them because:
There was no railway west at the time
It was the middle of winter
The British had not yet finished the transfer of the territories to Canada, so the Métis had not actually broken any laws

7. Creation of Manitoba May 12, 1870
The Manitoba Act of 1870 was the result of terms on which the Metis agreed to enter Confederation:
The promise that land the Métis already lived on could not be taken away from them
A large section of land was saved for the Métis
Catholic (French) schools were allowed
French was to be an “official” language

8. Métis Bill of Rights Metis Bill of Rights
How does this compare to our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

9. The Métis put some Canadians at Fort Garry under arrest in 1869.
Riel ordered his men to execute a man named Thomas Scott
= Canadians were outraged!

10. PM Macdonald responded by sending troops during the summer of 1870

11. Riel fled to the United States because he was afraid of being arrested
He returned to Canada four years later
Riel’s mental health deteriorated
He was granted amnesty in 1875
Riel spent some time in mental institutions in Quebec

12. Northwest Resistance 1885
Map

13. July 1884: Riel moves to Batoche (present day Saskatchewan
Riel had been asked to help the Métis make a deal with Ottawa
December 1884: The government receives the petition and promises to investigate

14. Early 1885: -Riel believes he’s on a mission from God
Early 1885: -Riel believes he’s on a mission from God. -He seizes the parish church in Batoche in March Riel becomes leader of the Métis Provisional Government

15. Riel and Provisional Government 1870

16. However…. Riel was now mentally ill, which affected his leadership
The North-West Mounted Police were in the west by then
The Canadian Pacific Railway was almost complete and Ottawa could send the military

17. Fighting between the Métis and police lasted only 2 months
Riel was forced to surrender

18. Battle of Batoche

19. Battle of Batoche
Opening shot at Batoche

20. Gabriel Dumont

21. In June 1885 Riel was charged with treason by an all-Caucasian jury

22. Despite strong opposition from Quebec, Riel was hanged in November 1885.
Historica minute

23. First Nations leaders Big Bear (Mistahimaskwa) and Poundmaker (Pitikwahanapiwiyin), allied with Riel, were also found guilty of treason.
They were given harsh jail sentences and soon died from disease

24. Chiefs Poundmaker and Big Bear

25. The Canadian government also hanged eight other First Nations leaders for treason
Poundmaker and Chiefs

26. Effect of the Resistance on Central Canada
Response was mixed in Ontario and Quebec
Many English wanted to stop the resistance
The French were reluctant (Métis were part French / Catholic)

27. How Would Canada Develop?
The English wanted an English-speaking and Protestant country
The French wanted a bi-cultural and bilingual country

28. Neither the English nor French asked the Métis and First Nations what they wanted
The French in Quebec did protest Riel’s execution
=Destroyed the Conservative Party in QC and paved way for the Liberal Party

29. Effect of the Resistance on Western Canada
The 1885 Resistance ruined relations among First Nations, Metis, and Euro-Canadian and European settlers.
The Canadian government would soon create the reserve system and residential schools to assimilate First Nations and Metis people.